Clip on camera lens for smart phones

[jimmyjam]

Has anybody tried one of these on their smart phone? Are they worth a crap?

[Matthew / BPL]

There are a wide variety available from awful to amazing. I had good results with Photojojo’s older magnetic lenses but they are not compatible with my current phone. I enjoyed the wide angle and fisheye lenses quite a bit. The wide angle has a removable element that turns it into an impressive (for a phone) macro. The fisheye is great for goofy photos with kids.

Here’s a current review of the options from a source I like. None of these really appeal to me.

[Rex Sanders]

I tried the well-reviewed and expensive Moment lenses on an iPhone 6 Plus. Meh.

My primary use was for video. These add-on lenses often confused the iPhone automatic focus/exposure/white balance, which I use (too) often. They worked well for still photos.

One major annoyance for me was the Moment glued-on lens mount. They were challenging to apply just so over the lens. But the worst part: sharp edges literally wore a hole in my pockets. Since I’d stopped using the lenses anyway, I peeled off the mount with some struggle. If you can tolerate an iPhone case, the Moment case with lens mount might be the way to go.

I decided that dragging along a dedicated camera was better if I wanted better video. So that’s what I do.

YMMV.

— Rex

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